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By Daphne Sashin
Daily Press
December 20 2003
JAMES CITY -- A Williamsburg-area dentist was reprimanded by the Virginia Board
of Dentistry and agreed to pay a $1,000 fine for illegally advertising his
practice as "natural."
The state board that licenses and regulates dentists said Peter S. Evans, a
dentist who practices on King's Way in
Evans signed an agreement that said the advertisement was a violation of the
profession's rules and that he would pay the fine.
On Friday he said "it's inappropriate to comment right now," but a
Web site he has used invites people to "learn about our practice's natural philosophy, mercury
free and biocompatible services."
(Marie’s note: That is what
the board didn’t like---his mercury free and biocompatible services.)
Sandra K. Reen, executive director of the dentistry
board, said Evans violated a Board of Dentistry regulation that "you must
describe your practice with terminology that is accurate and accepted within
the dental community."
"There is no practice in dentistry that is, from a professional point of
view, referred to as natural dentistry," she said. "To give what
you're doing a name that is not recognized is misleading."
(Marie’s note. There may not be a category known as
cosmetic dentistry either, but dentists use it all the time without being penalized.)
Reen would not explain why the phrase "natural
dentistry" implies a claim of superiority, saying that information was
"not a matter of public record."
She said whether Evans uses mercury fillings or not had nothing to do with the
violation.
Daphne Sashin can be reached at 223-5684 or by e-mail
at dsashin@dailypress.com
Copyright © 2003, Daily Press